Today I went to the Capitol
A whole month we've been on this adventure. A whole month of pedaling, writing, exploring, conversing, sunscreening, and adventuring. How blessed am I.
New town means new timezone today. Back in the good 'ole Central. Well my watch and my body do not agree. Perhaps it was the fact that I almost rode 100 miles loaded yesterday. A sluggish late start either way. I know a late start of 10am. What's wrong with me! Old US 10 was our path for the day winding up and down. I could see the interstate across the way and was glad not to be on it. The road changed back and forth between good gravel and quiet pavement.
One stop for the day in New Salem. Home to the Holsteins and one particular cow: Sue, the world's largest Holstein. It was a climb up the hill to see her, but worth it. Breakfast treat of a pumpkin bar and a fantastic late at Udderly Caffeinated. Pun intended I'm sure. This town is all in on everything dairy cow, and I love that for them. It gives people a reason to stop and another way to keep this town alive.
I then continued onward to Bismark. Capital of the great state of North Dakota! I've got a bit of a goal to get to all the state capitals Rain tonight so we're at an airbnb. Airbnbs have served as a great way for us to save a bit of cash as well as get inside out of the rain or whatever elements we may face on our rest days. We stopped at Larson Cyclery to get a few spare parts. Josh needed a new tire. I needed a new tire. We also stocked up our flat kits. They've come in pretty handy over the last few weeks, so we wanted to make sure not to run out of supplies. The team there was so much fun to talk to. They had a large picture behind the counter that I was able to pretty much immediately identify as the Bicycle Sculpture in Pringle, SD. (Right on the Mickelson trail and totally worth a visit)
We had super at the Walrus. The say their known for pasta and the place was hoppin. I had a chicken florentine and it was delightful. After supper we were just a couple blocks from the capital building so we had to go. North Dakota is one of a handful of states that does not have the traditional rotunda style capital building. It's very plain and very practical. That seems to be the North Dakota way. Nothing super fancy, but they'll do what they can to make sure you see it through the day.
Back to the house and Alex was able to play mechanic. He's very good at it.
Ended the day reading a fantastic article about our journey from the wonderul Jacqueline Palfy. She's a friend from the bike world back in Sioux Falls, and an excellent storyteller and writer. She called me during our rest day in Medora, and I had a wonderful time talking to her. Worth checking out!
'till next time
-Matt
Miles Ridden Today: 63.03
Total Miles Ridden: 1,657.83
Feet Climbed Today: 2,086
Total Feet Climbed: 58,832
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